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The Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground [Listen]
"This is my all-time favorite album," says Moren of the Velvet's third release, in which they ditched white noise for melodic folk rock. "There are so many fantastic songs -- it fits whatever mood you're in."
The Pogues: "Fairytale of New York" [Listen]
According to Moren, "this is what we were aiming for with 'Young Folks': a classic guy-girl duet." The vocal interplay between Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues' Shane MacGowan "has an almost cinematic feeling," he says of the holiday classic.
Beach House: Beach House [Listen]
"They have a really interesting sound, with the slide guitar, keyboards and what sounds like a drum machine in the background," says Moren of this dream-pop duo from Baltimore, which released its debut last October. "I listened to it when I was stuck at JFK. It was soothing."
Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass [Listen]
"It's so diverse -- they can do everything from a soft lullaby to loud guitars," says Moren of the Jersey indie vets' thirteenth LP. "It's my favorite album of last year."